Dedicated to the advancement of the State of Indiana by re-affirming our state's constitutional principles that: all people are created equal; no religious test shall be imposed on our public officials and offices of trust; and no special privileges or immunities shall be granted to any class of citizens which are not granted on the same terms to all citizens.
Advance Indiana, LLC. Copyright 2005-16. All rights reserved.

Sunday, October 19, 2008

Reading Between The Lines

It's not a story about Larry Sinclair, but it's about as close as you're going to find on the Politico website. Kenneth Vogelpens an off-beat story today on Obama's "mystery man." The mystery man is a 50-year-old cop who has a great gym on the groundfloor of his luxury apartment at Regents Park on South Lake Shore Drive not far from Obama's South Side home. Michael Signator also owns a home in DuPage County where he works as a suburban cop. Vogel describes this mystery man in Obama's life:

He's the star of bulletins chronicling Barack Obama's movements, one of only a few nonrelatives to consistently get time with the Democratic candidate for president and a trusted confidant who has shared some of the most pivotal moments of Obama's career with him.

Yet journalists who have followed Obama's campaign for the better part of two years don't know what he looks like, staffers who have logged countless hours traveling with Team Obama didn't even know he works for the campaign and there's never been a story in a major media outlet about him.

He is Michael Signator, an aide and buddy of the man who — according to polls — stands a better-than-50-50 shot of becoming the next president of the United States of America. Technically, Signator's job is to provide "supplemental security support" for Obama's presidential campaign and also to coordinate the Obama family's personal and campaign schedules, according to Obama campaign spokesman Ben LaBolt. A police officer in a suburban Chicago town, Signator met Obama while volunteering for his 2004 U.S. Senate campaign, which eventually hired him as Obama's driver.

For security reasons , Obama's presidential campaign refuses to reveal the details of Signator's role, but LaBolt said it brings Signator into frequent, close contact with the Obamas.

"Barack and Michelle Obama regularly confer with Mike, as do senior campaign officials. Sen. Obama has met with Signator both at the Obamas' home and at Mike's," LaBolt said in a statement.

Obama is known for his workout habits. On one day in July, news reports indicated Obama hit the gym on six different occasions on the same day while home in Chicago. Vogel says one of the attractions of visiting Signator is the gym at his building:

When Obama is at home, he works out regularly in the well-appointed gym on the ground floor of the building. But according to "protective pool reports" distributed among journalists following the campaign, Obama may also occasionally stop by the building just to hang out with "Sig," as some campaign staffers call him.

On a Sunday morning in late June, for instance, a pool report explained that Obama "went for a workout at his friend's Mike Signator's building. He wore his black White Sox cap; a gray T-shirt and black workout pants. He only stayed about 15 minutes. Press staff was unsure whether he worked out or just hung with his friend."

Pool reports have characterized Signator as, among other things, a "friend," a "longtime aide" and a "former bodyman."

Vogel notes that Signator is paid as a campaign staffer. Obama's 2004 senate campaign paid him nearly $50,000, while his presidential campaign has paid him a similar amount over the past year through the end of August. Oddly, Vogel's story observes that Signator was the first person Obama told when he was selected to deliver a keynote address at the 2004 Democratic National Convention. A comment Vogel made during Obama's 2004 senate campaign made it into David Mendel's biography of Obama. Quoting Mendel, Vogel writes, "Obama's 'driver and bodyguard,' joked that he 'thought Barack was going to rise up over the people and start saying, 'My children, my children, I have come to free you.'"

Obama's frequent trips to Signator's apartment have caught the attention of Signator's neighbors according to Vogel. "Whatever the two men's current relationship, the Illinois senator has spent so much time at the Regents Park that many of the residents have their own Obama stories, according to Min Kim," he writes. "Sometimes, according to pool reports, Obama has dropped by multiple times in a single day, particularly while he was weighing his choice of a running mate," he adds. "That led some in his traveling press corps to speculate that Obama may have been meeting with prospective vice presidential nominees at Sig's place, and it prompted The Washington Post to crack that Signator was 'not, as far as we know, on the short list.'"

Gee...dem's do secret emergency search for dirt on Joe Plumber, why isn't anyone going after Sig the Cop?Obama's got to be researched, along with his cronies....step up Americans! Fox needs to find out who this guy is, look at his background, dig up whatever they can find...NOW

Is it possible that Obama has been going to this man to talk to him like a "father figure," thus the numerous visits a day when he had certain decisions to make? If so, then why has no one heard of or really seen this man (even his own campaign people aren't sure who he is), and why bring it up now, less than two weeks before the election? What IS there that might be hidden in this whole thing?

I agree that Fox needs to follow this up. It is sad that conservatives and independents have to rely on FOX and only FOX for unbiased and balanced journalism. After 9/11 I stopped watching CNN. But it is true. The McCain campaign wouldn't have to run all the SMEAR ads to educate the voters if the PRESS would FAIRLY report the issues of BOTH CANDIDATES!! No one can be as perfect as they report Obama to be. If so he isn't human!!!

Here's the 'father figure' problem, Obama has invited the wisdom of such 'father figures' as Rev. Wright, Ayers, Farakhan....need I say more?His judgement and his motives should be at the core of this election.

How much are cops in Dupage County paid? Enough to own a home and a luxury apartment in Chicago? Perhaps if the media would pull the "Joe the Plumber" investigative team into this, we'd know all we needed to know about Obama's mystery man. Such as: who pays the rent on the in-town "bromance" pad.

This is something the media should keep an eye on but at this point it doesn't read like anything more than a non-informative feature story on a member of Obama's team.

I read this with as much interest as I would reading about some McCain staffer.

I actually do feel badly for the number the media did on Joe the Plumber - even though the storm seems to have passed. Joe made some specific claims and it was good that the media got the truth on those claims - since McCain was using Joe as a specific example, and not a hypothetical. It impacts the discussion.

But the media went way beyond the call of duty. There was no need for them to report that he had two liens, that he's registered Republican, his real name without his consent, etc. That's all irrelevant to the discussion on tax plans.

I disagree with your premise regarding "smears". Since when is telling the truth about your opponent a smear? These ads a doing nothing but bringing the facts out about this wannabe messiah. These are things that, had "the one" been a republican, the media would have pointed out long ago. Since journalism has effectively died this election cycle, it's up to McCain to do it. I obviously agree with the rest of your post. Please don't use the language of the left (which includes their definitions) to describe the intent of the McCain campaign.

and he's a cop "Technically, Signator's job is to provide "supplemental security support" for Obama's presidential campaign and also to coordinate the Obama family's personal and campaign schedules, according to Obama campaign spokesman Ben LaBolt.

A police officer in a suburban Chicago town, Signator met Obama while volunteering for his 2004 U.S. Senate campaign, which eventually hired him as Obama's driver."

Hmmm. Mystery gone? This, coming from yet another "anonymous"...It's all of these quick to answer remedies we're expected to simply swallow in an effort to explain away the mysteries of Barrack Obama. With no documentation to back it up. This is why we are in the mess we are all in.

SUPPORT ADVANCE INDIANA

It takes many hours of time to publish content for Advance Indiana. If you enjoy reading the content of this blog, please help out by contributing. You can click on the "Make A Donation" button below to support Advance Indiana by using PayPal. Thanks to all of those readers who have made contributions in the past and continue to support this blog with your contributions. If you would rather support the blog using an alternative source of payment or would like to advertise on this blog, e-mail me at gwelsh@indy.rr.com for more information.

Blogflux

Subscribe To

Comment Policy

Advance Indiana allows you to post comments via this blog subject to the guidelines set forth herein. You understand that any comments you post are your own and are not those of Advance Indiana. You further understand that Advance Indiana is not responsible for the content of any external sites referenced in your comments. Unlawful, harassing, defamatory, abusive, threatening, harmful, obscene, profane, sexually oriented, racially offensive, or otherwise objectionable comments are not acceptable. If you think any content posted or otherwise included in Advance Indiana violates the guidelines set forth herein, then please alert Advance Indiana.
Advance Indiana reserves the right to pre-screen, edit, and remove any post as it deems appropriate. You specifically acknowledge that Advance Indiana has no obligation to display any post submitted or otherwise provided via Advance Indiana.